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Torquay
Read this story by Torquay waverider
SHAUN VILJOEN and you'll be glad you are
visiting in summer as he describes the chill
-- and thrill -- of early morning winter surf
SURF COAST
BEACHES
ASHRIEKING buzz rips me from my sleep. I
lunge blindly for the alarm clock, hoping to
bludgeon it to death. Success.
I'm slipping back into my slumber when the noise
explodes again. Bloody snooze button.
I shuffle to the kitchen, eyes glued shut. I mash
the wall hoping to connect with a light switch.
Click. The light pan-fries my retinas, instantly
blinding me. I quickly mash the wall again.
Feeling my way around the bench, I manage to
brew a coffee.
Outside the trees are swaying in the first light, the
icy northwesterly bending their branches. Offshore.
There's swell out there, I can almost feel it in my
belly. Either that or it's the chilli I had last night.
Turns out it's the chilli.
I'minthecarandoff.AsIpullupinthecarparka
set wraps itself around the point; long, clean lines,
the deep grey-green of the swells a stark contrast
to the burnt ochre of the ragged cliffs.
Heart pumping, I step into the arctic morning and
don my still-damp wetsuit. It's freezing, the kind of
cold that sends your dangly bits scrambling back
up into your torso.
Down on the sand, there's not a seagull in sight. I
imagine them standing around a fire in a 44-gallon
drum rubbing their wings together and stamping
their webbed feet.
My first duckdive is torture, like a rusty spike
driven into my forehead or listening to Britney
Spears.
I try to tighten my grip on my board but I've got
all the dexterity of a walrus in oven mitts trying to
pick up a five-cent piece.
Further out an old timer catches a beautiful wave,
wide grin planted in his grey stubble as he races
across the face.
Finally, I'm out the back.
I exchange a nod with another early morning
waverider and glance back at the shore. The first
rays pick out the wind-twisted trees and shrubs
atop the red cliffs.
Movement on the horizon. A set. A big one. The
swells stand tall as they draw near.
A surfer next to me paddles into the first one,
letting out a little whoop as he takes off.
My turn. I paddle into the wave and feel it pick me
up and drive me forward. I drop down the face, leaving
my stomach behind. I turn off the bottom, eyeing the
long wall ahead of me and go roaring down the line.
Some things are worth getting up early for.
Torquay has several beaches ideal for families
- try Fishermans Beach and Cosy Corner for
gentle swims - as well as areas more suited to
those who want to experience some waves -- try
Torquay back beach and Jan Juc beach. Torquay
beaches have toilets, car parking and grassy
foreshores, with barbecues and shelters at Cosy
Corner. There's steep steps access to Jan Juc.
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